Impromptu Date Night
by PhoenixRae
Summary: Shalimar's bored on a Saturday night and Brennan decided to indulge her in whatever she felt like doing, resulting in something neither of them expected...but maybe Shalimar planned it all along...


**Disclaimer:** All the characters belong to the creators of ** Mutant X** and Tribune Entertainment Company. I only own the plot so don't sue me!

**Summary:** Shalimar's bored on a Saturday night and Brennan decided to indulge her in whatever she felt like doing, resulting in something neither of them expected...but maybe Shalimar planned it all along...

**PhoenixRae's Notes:** This fic was conceived when I read the challenge in Donna Lynn's website. This is my take on her challenge #20 and my first ever **Mutant X** fic so please be nice and give me positive reviews. Constructive criticism are welcome as well.

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**Impromptu Date Night**

I'M BORED," SIGHED THE STUNNING Shalimar Fox. It was Saturday night and the world was quiet. Well, _her_ part of the world anyway. Elsewhere chaos was abundant, but she need not worry about that—for now.

Brennan Mulwray looked up from the big-screen plasma TV in the entertainment room at the Sanctuary. He scrunched his smooth forehead into a frown as he watched his feisty blond feral follow Mutant X-er enter the room.

"Why don't you go out?" he suggested.

Shalimar's brow rose and her upper right lip twitched. She gave Brennan an are-you-kidding-me look.

Brennan knew that look. Shalimar wasn't in the mood to socialize with people. He couldn't blame her. He was bored as well, but the last thing he wanted was to socialize with other people; _normal_ people who would shriek and look at him in horror once they find out he was different from them. And lately there haven't been enough missions for them to go to and keep them busy hence why they are feeling such great deal of boredom on their shoulders.

"I feel useless, Brennan," she admitted, crossing the room and sat down beside him on the L-shaped leather couch.

Now it was Brennan's turn to raise an eyebrow. "Useless?" he echoed.

"Yeah," Shalimar nodded.

"You're not useless, Shal."

"I'm not?" she looked hopefully into his dark brown eyes, her blue eyes alight with such hope that Brennan couldn't help but get lost in the depths of her feral eyes.

"Of course not!" Brennan assured her. "Just to prove to you how useful you are, here," he handed her the remote control to the TV. "Pick out a nice show or movie for us to watch. You have a knack for finding something interesting to watch and I've been channel surfing for the last hour and a half with no such luck." He looked crestfallen at his uselessness at finding interesting shows to watch.

Shalimar looked at him with that you've-got-to-be-kidding-me expression then rolled her eyes skyward. Better humour him. At least that will give her something to do other than sulk. She took the remote from him and slouched down on the sofa beside him, clicking away on the remote control trying to find something good to watch.

An hour and a half later, Brennan and Shalimar were back where they started: nothing to watch and bored as hell. Shalimar's patience was running very thin. She was restless and needed to do something. Brennan wasn't much of help. He just sat there watching the big screen TV, occasionally telling her to stop clicking and see what was good on the channel she just surfed to. Most of the time he'd ask her to stop and watch some silly commercial. She very nearly strangled him to death when he asked her to stop channel surfing for the umpteenth time to watch the same damn commercial they've seen two or three channels before!

"I give up!" Shalimar threw the remote control back at Brennan and pushed herself off the couch. "This is pointless. It's Saturday night. I'm young. I'm vibrant. And I'm stuck here inside a mountain wasting my time watching TV commercials. There's got to be _something_ worth doing this evening."

Brennan looked up at the petite blond and frowned. He hadn't seen Shalimar act this restless in the last two and a half years that he knew her. He wondered _what_ could be the reason behind her itching to do something instead of enjoying her time off fighting crime and saving the world.

"You know we could always go out and rent a couple of movies. A Saturday night movie marathon sounds just about right since we're both bored outta out wits," he suggested.

"Rent a movie?" Shalimar looked over her shoulder at him and frowned. "What's a good new release this week?" she asked.

Brennan gave a slight shrug. "I guess we'll just have to find out when we get there."

"But I don't wanna go out," she whined.

_Man, she is being impossible!_ Brennan thought irately. _Is it mating season or something? Or is it her time of the month?_ He knew Shalimar wasn't a difficult co-worker. In fact, she was as charming and giving as she was aggressive and dangerous. But tonight she was acting differently. _It's got to be her time of the month. I heard women tend to get irritable when they have their periods._ He thought to himself.

"Shal, either you go out or you rot in here. Which is it gonna be?"

* * * * *

"I can't believe I let you drag me in here, Brennan Mulwray!" complained Shalimar forty-five minutes later when they hit the nearest Blockbuster video store in search of a good new release movie to watch.

Brennan rolled his eyes at his companion. Apparently she was testing just how far his patience would go. Who would've thought looking for a good flick to watch with a feral could be _this_ exasperating?

"Shal, just…just go look for something to watch, okay? It'll keep you busy _and_ useful for a change," he told her as he turned towards the Action/Adventure aisle. He needed to get away from her before he zapped her to oblivion! Well, not really to oblivion, but close to there anyway. He was willing to use his power on Shalimar just to keep that feral quiet.

Brennan thought he heard her growl and her eyes flashed that feral orange glow, but he gave it no thought. She was irritated, and damn it to hell he was getting as irritated as she was too!

They browsed the video rental store—separately of course—for close to an hour. When they met up at the counter they were both empty-handed still.

"Brennan, this is pointless! We wasted an hour _looking_ for something to watch and yet…and yet…_argh!_" she stomped her foot like a small child.

"Hey, hey. Calm down, will ya?" Brennan grabbed her by the shoulders, turning her to face him and made her look into his eyes. She was getting agitated and that wasn't good. In her current state of mind, Brennan cringed at the thought of what Shalimar was capable of doing when her temper flared.

"I can't calm down. I'm bored. I feel useless. I'm tired. I'm irritated. I'm…I'm just a cranky old crone, that's what I am!" she sulked, pouting those luscious lips of hers that sent something sinister coursing through his brain right at that very moment. She looked mighty damn fine to ravish right then and there, but he knew that pouncing on this moody feral would be deadly—for his sake.

"For crying out loud, Shal, _keep quiet!_" Brennan hissed, eyeing the curious bystanders watching him and his blond feisty companion. He gave a curt nod to the ladies giving him weird looks and glared at those men who were ogling at Shalimar. Lowering his voice he held Shalimar's gaze. "Look, what is really wrong with you? You're acting way too weird."

"I told you, I'm bored."

"Is that all?"

"Yes," she nodded.

Brennan didn't believe her, but he let it drop this time.

"Alright. Now, you said you're bored, right?"

Shalimar nodded meekly, her lips still pouty and her blue eyes showing her vulnerable side. Brennan was once again assailed with feelings he knew he shouldn't be feeling towards her. It was bordering over the platonic relationship they have established since they started working together.

"We're at a video rental store right now and there's a lot of movies to choose from. Why not we try and figure out _what_ kinda mood you're in right now and rent something to your liking, hm?" he bargained.

"You're going to watch what _I_ want to watch?" she looked hopefully at him, her upper lips curling into a seductive smile.

Brennan took a deep breath and nodded. He knew the only way to get Shalimar out of this funk of hers was to go along with whatever she wanted. And if she wanted to watch some chick-flick to drown out her boredom, then so be it.

* * * * *

"Thanks Bren, for agreeing to watch this with me," Shalimar enthused as soon as they were seated comfortably in the L-shaped leather couch in front of the big-screen plasma TV inside Sanctuary.

"Anytime, Shal," Brennan replied, gritting his teeth and mentally kicking himself for getting himself coerced into watching a, yep, he was right, a _chick-flick_ with Shalimar.

"I didn't know you'd actually go for renting _The Wedding Planner._" She sounded surprised when Brennan said yes to her choice of movie without bothering to argue with her.

"Hey, I opted for watching _X-Men_ but you gave me that feral glare so I let _you_ decide what to watch," he reminded her.

Shalimar remembered that little argument of theirs when Brennan picked up a copy of _X-Men_ the live-action movie.

"Bren, I know we're mutants, but do you _have_ to rub it in by watching _that_?" she snapped at him.

"Hey, I happen to think that Logan-slash-Wolverine is a mighty fine character. You might learn a thing or two from him," he told her matter-of-factly, dangling the DVD case in front of her.

She snatched the case from his hand and put it back on the shelf.

"No, Brennan. For once I want to watch something that doesn't involve racism or discrimination of any kind. We get a lot of that already by being who and what we are. Tonight I want to get lost in a world where everyone's just normal," she explained.

Brennan raised an eyebrow and eyed the DVD case she was holding. "And you think watching JLo strut her stuff and try to be funny is the answer to that?"

She surprised him, and herself, by sticking her tongue out at him like some spoilt brat.

"You gave me permission to choose whatever movie we're going to watch tonight and I opted for some romantic comedy, regardless of _who_ the female lead is," she told him haughtily.

"That I did, but that didn't give you the entire upper hand in the decision making of _which_ movie we're gonna be watching," he pointed out to her.

"Ask me if I care," she challenged and with a flick of her long, curly blond locks she marched towards the counter, leaving him gaping after her.

Shalimar chuckled at the memory and gave Brennan a quick sideways glance before pressing the PLAY button. She knew she won this round this time, but next time she'll let him win. And lookie here, she got what she wanted: a _date_ of some sort with Brennan Mulwray. Finally she got him all to herself without having to share him with Jesse or Lexa, vying for his time to be focused on her and her alone.

Brennan kept on glancing at the petite blond seated beside him, slouched down in her seat with her feet propped up on the coffee table in front of them. She was hugging a small square throw pillow against her and her eyes were fixed intently on the big screen in front of them. She looked relaxed and back to her old self.

_Pherw! Thank God for that,_ he thought to himself and slouched down beside her. Shalimar acting like a spoilt brat? It really wasn't her feral friend's style. He liked Shalimar pumped up with attitude and ready to pounce on the next badass that crossed paths with them.

* * * * *

An hour and forty-five minutes later Brennan felt something weighing down his shoulder. He had been too engrossed with the movie to notice that his 'date' already zonked-out on him.

"Shal?" he gave his shoulder a slight shrug, trying to wake Shalimar up, but to no avail. "Shalimar, wake up."

Shalimar mumbled something under her breath and made herself more comfortable with her head propped against Brennan's shoulder.

"Great. Temperamental feral fell asleep," Brennan mumbled to himself, but he wasn't the least bit annoyed that she fell asleep on him. In fact, he liked having her use him as a pillow with her soft, lush body pressed against him.

Brennan lifted Shalimar's head off his shoulder and looped his arm around her shoulders, letting her head fall on his chest as he reached for the remove control that fell on her side when she fell asleep. He turned off the TV and DVD before scooping her up off the couch. His arm wrapped around her shoulders while the other hooked under her bent knees and with great ease he lifted her off their seat.

He made it back to their sleeping quarters quietly. He gave her bedroom door a slight nudge and it opened. Shalimar's bedroom was dimly lit, but it was enough to guide him towards her bed where he deposited his sleeping date.

Shalimar must've known the feel of her own bed. As soon as Brennan put her down on top of her bed cover she untangled her arms that wrapped around his neck when he lifted her up earlier. She curled up like a kitten on the side of the bed Brennan deposited her. She tucked her balled up fists under her chin.

Brennan stood back and admired her for a while. In the last two and a half years that he knew her, this was the first time Brennan watched Shalimar Fox sleep. And damn what a sight she presented! No wonder those guys at the video rental store were ogling at her. Dressed in halter top and hip-hugging jeans, she can stop traffic with her exposed midriff.

Brennan gave himself a couple of seconds to watch her before leaning down to press a kiss on her forehead.

"Good night, Shal," he whispered and slowly pulled away.

Shalimar's hands uncurled from under her chin and grasped Brennan's muscled upper arms. Brennan was surprised and he sent an alarmed look at her face, but what he saw surprised him more. Shalimar's blue eyes were opened and a mischievous grin hovering on those same luscious, pouty lips he wanted to ravish since earlier.

"Why don't you give your date a proper good night kiss, Brennan," she cajoled.

"What?" his voice came out hoarsely, his brown eyes wide from disbelief.

Shalimar chuckled and did the deed herself. Pushing her head a few inches off her pillow, she let her soft, petal-like lips graze Brennan's, blowing soft, feather-like breath against it before deepening the kiss.

Brennan was momentarily startled at what Shalimar was doing, but soon he realized that he wasn't taking advantage of his sleeping date after all. If truth be told, _he_ was the one who was being taken advantage of!

"Shal—" he began, but Shalimar silenced him by gently biting on his lower lip.

"Shh…shut-up and kiss me, Brennan," she demanded before opening her mouth for him.

"As you wish, ma'am," Brennan chuckled and did what he was told to do, and this time he didn't mind being ordered by a woman.

~*~ **_END_** ~*~


End file.
